Chair iron for tilting chairs



H. W. SHELDRICK CHAIR IRON FOR TIL'IING CHAIRS Aug, 17, 1948.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 7, 1945 Man-afar Aug. 17, 1948. w, sHELDRlCK 2,447,283

CHAIR IRON FOR. TILTING CHAIRS ,2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed June '7, 1945 Patented Aug. 17, 1948 m'rao PATENT OFFICE This invention relate" tohair's' or the type having a seat pivotally' m'ountedf'= on a base "or pedestal such, for example; 'asoffice chairs-and tiie like; "and more particularly to an improved? chair 'i'r'onfor- *pivo'tal'lysupporting-the *seat. 1

I'n cl'iai'rs *ofiihe abovetype, 'it-'is'"'ous"tomary to provide a chairiro'n' having one or more springs 'for yieldingly restraining tipping -move"- ment "of tl'ie seat and/or back, associatedwitl'i a' the spring or springs-in opposing tipping -movement' 'm'ay-"be adjusted to suit the occupant, These parts are usually exposed to viewa'ridfiot only detractfrom the appearance of'the chair, but-also provide "dirt and dust-collecting surfaces which, "due-to the many'r'eentrant portions and irregularities, "are difficult to" clean.

The "principal obj'ects'ofthe present? invention are to provide a chair iron which is of simnle design, but of strong and durable "construction, having a minimum numberfof parts, and which isreliable in operation, insuring a smooth and comfortabletilting'action; and to .ip'rovide a' chair iron'i'n which'certain o'fth'e ope ratingipart'scons'titute a housing "for the other parts, thus presenting an improved appearance and a structure substantially free" from projecting parts and dirt-collecting irregularities, and I which lperinit's the exposed surfaces of the chair iron .to be easily cleaned. 1

Further obj'ects relate to various 'fea'turesfof construction and w'ill b'e apparent from aconsideration of the "following description and-the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig; 1' is a side elevation ofa chair having a chair ir'o'n constructedlin accordance thepres'ent invention a I Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the chair iron; and Fig; 3' is a longitudinal-section through ethechair iron.

In accordance with the present invention,-. I"

providea chair comprising abase' member orpede stal which may'bevof-any conventional design or construction, seat and back 'memberswhichmay also be of 1 conventional design and construction, and-a chair iron or supportingmechanism carried by thepedestal and: supporting the seat for tipping movement \Which may be easily controlled-by -adjustm'ent "of -a $0011- veniently located" screw, thereby securing 2a smooth and "comfortable tilting action.

The cch'air iron 'compris'es a seat-supporting; member having depending parts roviding spaced: si'de' wal'ls'iand ran endwall 1 these pa'rts preferably constituting a streamline housing substantially free from ireen'trant portions and dirt-collecting irregularities. The usual :;p o,st projects upwardly from the pedestal and-rigidly supportsra stationary member-having a;pair'1:oiupstanding: arms, preferably extending {through an openingaor recess in the bottom wall of the housing and disposed adj acent illOithGilIl'iGI' traces of thesici'e walls, so as to provide a pivotal sup* port for 'the seat-supporting member.

"Tilting movement of the seat-supporting member isny'ieldingly opposed by resilient :means suCh' as a coil compression spring, one endiof which 'aicts against a rocker -int'erp'osed between and vpivotally:suppor ted oy theup'standing F arms of: the stationary memher and-"its j opposite" 181111 acts against the-end wallor' a cap juxtaposed: thereto,- the construction and arrangement-oi parts'bing such that the spring is dispo'sed with in the confines of thesi'd'e and end wallsand approximately parallel to the seat supportin'g member, thus making "it possible to keep the size of the I enclosing body or housing-small and giv ing the whole -me'char'1is'n1 a strea'rhlined'efi'eot; screw" may be provided soas to vary the "po sition "of" the cap relative to*-'t'he rocker, therebypermittin'g [adjustment of the action' of the spring in opposingtilting movement, "andihterengaging parts carried by'the arms and side walls are 15rovide'd' to oppose forward tilting 'movement of the'tseat-supporting mechanism.

Referring to "the accompanying drawings which show what is ,now considered .a preferred embodiment, .a conventional base or pedestal I is supported on 'castors '2 and, a chair. iron 3' carri d by the base supports seat and back members 4' and5; "The seat 4 maybe provided witharm restsfwhich, as'her'e' shown, are rigidly. secured to'f'the seat and back.

Tl'iechair-iron 3 1 comprises a stationary member ofgener'ally U-sha'ped cross section defining a'bottom-wall l0 (Fig. Blahdap'air of.spac'ed upstandingarms 1 I and 12. The bottom wall lfl'is rigidly secured to the upperend portion of a post IA threaded into-and supported by T3; cap 15, mounted-Ion the top: ofthe pedestal, and a-:plate l-6- (F ig 2'3) rigidly secured to the upstanding arms andl-2',.'is formed=wit-han:'opening -to receive the reduced en'd of thexpost :l'4 which-is peened over the margin" of theopening, as indicated at H, to provide a strong and rigid connection betweenthe chair iron and=postl The arms l I and "I 2 project through an openin"; or recess; in the bottom" wall I 20 of a housing" 2i which provides a pair of depending side walls 24 and 25 and an end wall 26, all of which merge with the bottom wall 20 to form a smooth continuous surface presenting a streamline effect. The forward lower ends of the arms H and i2 are pivotally connected by rivets or the like 28 to the lower side walls 24 and 25 respectively the design of the parts being such that the bottom wall Iii of the stationary member provides, in effect, a continuation of the bottom wall 20 of the housing 2|, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The upper end of the side walls 24 and 25 are riveted or otherwise secured to a seat-supporting member consisting of a pair of spider arms 30 and 3?, the outwardly bent ends of which are screwed or otherwise secured to the under-surface of the seat 4, as shown in Fig. 1. With this construction and arrangement, the seatsupport' ing member and seat and back carried thereby are normally supported at a slight angle of inclination as shown in Fig. 1, and may be tilted or rocked rearwardly about the pivots 28.

Rearward tilting movement of the seat is yieldingly restrained by an arrangement including a rocker 34, consisting of a cap or dished plate, interposed between the arms H and I2 and formed with upstanding fingers 35 and 36 which are pivotally secured to the upper ends of the arms II and I2, above and slightl rearwardly of the pivots 28, as shown in Fig. 3. A similarly shaped cap 38, having a central inwardly extending depression 40, is juxtaposed to the inner face of the end wall 26, and one end of a coiled compression spring 42 acts against the cap 38 and its other end against the rocker 34 so as to be compressed by counterclockwise rocking movement of housing 2| and thus yieldingly oppose rearward tilting movement of the seat. It will be noted that the rocker 34, although carried by the stationary arms, pivots in response to tilting movement of the seat so as always to remain in substantial coaxial position with spring 42. The construction and arrangement of parts are such that the spring 42 is disposed entirely within the confines of the housing 2| and lies between and approximately parallel to the spider arms 30, 3|, thus permitting a housing of minimum size,

..The force exerted by the spring 42 in opposing rearward tilting movement may be varied by a screw 45 which passes through a threaded bushing 46 in the end wall 26 with its inner rounded end engaging the depression 40 of cap 38, The diameter of the depression 40 is somewhat larger than that of the inner end of the screw 45 so that an approximate point contact is obtained between the screw and cap which makes the adjustment very easy as compared to former constructions where the bearing between the corresponding parts covers a considerably larger area around the screw because the adjusting member is in the form of a nut. The outer end of the screw 45 carries a hand wheel 48 by means of which the screw may be rotated to vary the position of the cap 38, relative to the rocker 34, and thus adjust the action of the spring 42 in opposing rearward tilting movement of the seat.

Forward tilting movement of the seat is opposed or limited by a pair of inwardly projecting lugs constituting stops 50 struck out'from the side walls 24 and 25 of the housing, which stops engage the recessed upper ends 5| of the arms H and I2, as shown in Fig. 3.

It will be noted that the construction and arrangement of parts are such that the spring 42 and associated parts are concealed by the housing 2| which is so designed as to cooperate with the bottom wall H) of the stationary member to provide a streamlined effect even when the seat is tilted, thus presenting an improved appearance, as well as an economical construction, having exposed surfaces which are much more easily kept free from dust and dirt on the outside than previous constructions. Moreover, the construction of the adjusting mechanism is such that it is conveniently accessible for manipulation to insure a smooth and comfortable tilting action.

While I have shown and described one desirable embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration, and that various changes and modifications ma be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A chair iron comprising a seat-supporting member having spaced depending side members and a depending end member adjoining the side members so as to provide a housing, a stationary member having a pair of upstanding arms extending into said housing and pivotally connected with said side members to provide a pivotal support for said seat-supporting member, a rocker within said housing and interposed between and pivotally supported by said arms, and a spring member within said housing acting against said rocker and depending 'end member so as yieldingly to oppose tilting movement of said seat-supporting member.

2. A chair iron comprising a seat-supporting member having spaced depending side members and a depending end member adjoining the side members so as to provide a housing, a stationary member having a pair of upstanding arms extending into said housing and pivotally connected with said side members to provide a pivotal support for said seat-supporting member, a rocker within said housing and interposed between and pivotally supported by said arms, a spring member within said housing acting against said rocker and depending end member so as yieldingly to oppose rearward tilting movement of said seatsupporting member, and interengageable parts carried by said arms and side members for opposing forward tilting movement of said seat-sup porting member.

3. A chair iron comprising a seat-supporting member having spaced depending side members and a depending and member adjoining the side members so as to provide a housing, a stationary member having a pair of upstanding arms extending into said housing and pivotally connected with said side members to provide a piV- otal support for said seat-supporting member, a rocker within said housing and interposed between and pivotally supported by said arms, and a coiled compression spring disposed within said housing with one end seated on said rocker and its other end acting against said end member so as yieldingly to oppose tilting movement of said seat-supporting member, and means for varying the action of said spring in opposing tilting move ment of said seat-supporting member.

4. A chair ironcomprising a seat-supporting said end member, a cap engageable with the inner end of said screw, said screw having a threaded connection with said end member so that the position of said cap may be adjusted relative to said rocker, and a spring member acting against said rocker and cap so as yieldingly to oppose tilting movement of said seat-supporting member.

5. A chair iron comprising a seat-supporting member having spaced depending side members and a depending end member, a stationary member having a pair of upstanding arms pivotally connected with said side members to provide a pivotal support for said seat-supporting member, a rocker interposed between and pivotally sup ported by said arms, a cap juxtaposed to the inner side of said end member, said cap having a central inwardly-extending depression, a screw projecting through said end member and havin an inner end smaller than the diameter of said depression, said end being engageable with the depression in said cap to provide an approximate point contact therewith, said screw having a threaded connection with said end member so that the position of said cap relative to said rocker may be adjusted, and a coiled compression spring having one end acting against said cap and its other end acting against said rocker so as yieldingly to oppose tilting movement of said seat-supporting member.

6. A chair iron comprising a seat-supporting member having spaced dependin side members and a depending end member, a stationary member having a pair of upstanding arms pivotally connected with said side members to provide a pivotal support for said seat-supporting member, a rocker interposed between and pivotally supported by said arms, a cap juxtaposed to the inner side of said end member, a screw projecting through said end member with its inner end engageable with said cap, said screw having a threaded connection with said end member so that the position of said cap relative to said rocker may be adjusted, a coiled compression spring having one end acting against said cap and its other end acting against said rocker so as yieldingly to oppose rearward tiltin movement of said seat-supporting member, and interengageable parts carried by said arms and side members for opposing forward tilting movement of said seat-supporting member.

'7. A chair iron comprising a seat-supporting member, a depending housing secured to said seat-supporting member and providing a pair of side walls and an end wall, a stationary member having a pair of arms projecting upwardly along the inner faces of said side walls and pivotally connected thereto so as to provide a pivotal support for said seat-supporting member, a rocker within said housing and interposed between and pivotally supported by said arms, and

rocker within said housing and interposed between and pivotally supported by said arms, a coiled compression spring disposed within said housing with one end acting against said rocker and its other end acting against said end wall so as yieldingly to oppose rearward tilting movement of said seat-supporting member, and interengageable parts carried by said side walls and arms for opposing forward tilting movement of said seat-supporting member.

9. A chair iron comprising a seat-supporting member, a depending housing secured to said' seat-supporting member and providing a pair of side walls and an end wall, a stationary member having a pair of arms projecting upwardly along the inner faces of said side walls and pivotally connected thereto so as to provide a pivoted support for said seat-supporting member, a rocker interposed between and pivotally supported by said arms, a screw projecting through said end wall, a cap juxtaposed to the inner face of said end wall and engageable by the inner end of said screw, said screw having a threaded connection with said end wall so that the position of said cap relative to said rocker may be varied, a spring member acting against said cap and rocker so as yieldingly to oppose rearward tilting movement of said seat-supporting member, and interengageable parts carried by said side walls and arms for opposing forward tilting movement of said seat-supporting members.

HENRY W. SHELDRICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 382,235 Kenna May 1, 1888 455,866 Quinlan July 14, 1891 696,667 Ellenbecker Apr. 1, 1902 1,346,110 Atwood July 13, 1920 1,433,694 Atwood Oct. 31, 1922 1,501,180 Peters July 15, 1924 1,696,154 Bump Dec. 18, 1928 1,866,498 Bolens July 5, 1932 2,359,966 Bolens Oct. 10, 1944; 

